Advice on turning 60

A friend of mine turned 60
and it gives me cause to share
some road wisdom on this milepost of life.
Be more apt to count your blessings
than to add up your regrets.
Come to think of it that’s biblical advice.

Look ahead straight through the windshield.
Don’t fixate on rearview mirrors.
What’s around the bend is bound to be real swell.
Mind the limits of those speed signs.
There’s no need to go too fast.
Roses aren’t the only thing to stop and smell.

Keep your bucket list beside you.
There’s no telling what’s to come.
There’s no use procrastinating till some day.
Ditch your roadmap. Start exploring
places off the beaten path.
Take some risks and give a nod to “come what may.”

And while 60’s the new 40,
you had better check your brakes
and then verify your tires have good tread.
Better double-check your passport
and be sure you’re heaven bound
for you can’t change your allegiance once you’re dead.

Don’t forget to fuel your gas tank.
Service stations do abound
in a church or in a home group. You decide.
What’s important (downright crucial)
is to keep your faith on F.
Fill up daily. Trust the Lord! Enjoy the ride!

And the nightmares caused by bullies

There’s that fat boy in the Nikes
we see jogging in big shoes.
Makes me think about the jeans I owned at ten.
I wore “huskies” and I panted as I ran those fifty yards.
And I grimace just remembering back then.

Kids can be so cruel and heartless
as they hurl unkind remarks.
Like a javelin, words pierce and go real deep.
Having felt the sting of bullies,
how I ache for boys like me
who can smile by day then go to bed and weep.

I’m so proud of Nathan Sorrell
and the progress he has made
to become a much more healthy 12 year old.
May his mockers soon be muffled.
May his hopes and dreams come true
as he takes first step to reach his lofty goal.

And that lofty goal is greatness,
what God wills for all of us
as we run the human race and walk with Him.
We are born to know His pleasure
as we push with all our might
to accomplish what it takes to finally win.

*based on this Nike commercial aired during the 2012 Summer Olympics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2kdMU4Mk9Y

Spiritual lessons from the London Olympics

While the Games of the Olympics
were contested
people asked
why’s the flame concealed
within the stad-i-um?
What it stands for is deserving
to be prominently seen.
That it’s not displayed more broadly
seems quite dumb.

But the cauldron remained hidden
from the start until the end.
Looking back,
it was a needless oversight.
Just by changing the location
of that most majestic flame
millions more could have enjoyed
its beauty bright.

Like a city on a hillside
that is visible for miles,
we are called to dispel darkness
everyday.
That’s the lesson Jesus taught us
when He called us to be light
and illuminate
the one and only way.

Let your light so shine, He chided,
that the world can clearly see
all the good we do
so God is glorified.
Do not hide it neath a bushel
or in some remote locale.
It’s a flame that should be seen
both far and wide.

* based on Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

** http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/28/oly-cauldron-controversy-day-idUSL6E8IS1PK20120728

Why the Chick-fil-A boycott is foul!

A fast food chain called Chick-fil-A
believes in marriages God’s way.
And that’s their right. For, after all,
this is America.

They still serve gays. They have no beef
with human rights. It’s their belief
that marriage is defined by God
and not by culture’s whim.

They do not think outside the bun
like those intent on same-sex fun.
They value things traditional.
And Sundays they are closed.

It’s kinda fishy don’t you think
that protesters should make a stink
because a chain attempts to live
by values God affirms?

If Colonel Sanders did the same
would gay folk play the boycott game?
Or would they simply order wings
and let him voice his views?